Mediation team to help solve foreign-related disputes

Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center will set up an international mediation team to help solve foreign-related disputes in communities.

At a mediator skills development forum yesterday, Barry Wilson, a multi-skilled professional consultant and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong, gave a lecture on the skills in solving disputes to the 15 candidates for membership to the international mediation team.

Barry Wilson (R), a multi-skilled professional consultant, interacts with attendees at a lecture on dispute-solving skills yesterday. Li Liuhua

During the nine-hour training along with Xiong Daikun, a lawyer from Guanghe Law Firm, the two experts in mediating international disputes trained the attendees through role plays, body languages and tests.

“There is conflict in almost any workplace and having the aptitude to solve it is a valuable addition to any professional’s skill set. It can root out a dispute before it scaled up into a bigger conflict,” Wilson said.

Tao Dandan, an employee of Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center, said the establishment of the international service team will upgrade the public service of the foreign legal assistance center, the first public legal service platform for expats in Guangdong that was put into operation in September 2020.

“The center explores multilingual mediations to solve the language barriers of the parties involved. The members will have cross-cultural awareness, certain law background and are active in participating in community management,” Tao said at an interview Sunday.

Shekou Subdistrict accommodates the city’s largest expat population, with around one-third of the expat population or nearly 10,000 expats living in the area. Employees of the legal assistance center often turned to lawyers or law enforcement departments to solve disputes in leasing, labor contracts and dog bites.

Among the 15 trainees, Caroline Quinn, a Norwegian who serves as an international volunteer at the center, was among the first signing for the training.

“As a foreigner, I know they can encounter challenges and difficulties in life,” said Quinn, who is general manager of Sinodyne Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. “I hope I can offer my help to repay the community and contribute to the building of an international block.”

Philippe Fournier-Viger from Canada is a professor at Shenzhen University. He said the training will be helpful for him personally to solve disputes in life, and will also assist him to help others.